Guide MassDEP Mercury Information

Use this Guide to learn about mercury, understand its environmental and health effects, safely manage products and wastes that contain it, and find out what Massachusetts and other states in the region are doing to reduce mercury exposure.

Mercury won't harm you if it stays inside an item. But when a product containing it is broken, thrown in the trash, or poured down the drain, mercury cycles through the environment, polluting air and water, and accumulating in fish.

You and your family can be exposed to mercury by breathing its fumes, eating contaminated fish, or touching spilled mercury. Follow these tips to protect yourself and the environment:

Avoid putting mercury-containing products in the trash or down the drain. Many communities have household hazardous waste collection events or sites where you can safely dispose of these items.

Never touch spilled mercury. Keep people and pets away and open windows to ventilate the area. Don't sweep or vacuum spilled mercury up!

Environmental Effects of Mercury

Mercury can be found at low levels almost everywhere, but the burning of coal and trash have greatly increased its levels in the environment.

The environmental impacts of mercury can be local, or carried across whole regions or entire continents by the wind.

In lakes, ponds, and the ocean, mercury can be transformed by natural processes into a more toxic form called methylmercury, which enters the food chain when small organisms absorb it.

Fish. Small fish eat contaminated plankton and algae, then in turn are eaten by larger fish. Mercury accumulates and becomes concentrated in the predatory fish at levels of up to a million times higher than in the water they live in.

Other wildlife. For fish-eating creatures such as eagles, osprey, loons, turtles, mink and otters, mercury in the diet can cause weight loss, disrupt reproduction, and lead to early death.

A long-term problem. Once in the environment, mercury persists for a long time and never degrades into a harmless substance.

Because mercury persists for so long, it takes many years for mercury levels in fish to drop significantly. It is important to be aware of and follow fish consumption advisories.

Health Effects of Mercury

There are several different forms of mercury. Some are more dangerous than others, but all are toxic.

Depending on type and amount, exposure to mercury can damage a person's nervous system, brain, kidneys, liver, and immune system.

Methylmercury is extremely poisonous and can damage the brain even at low levels. People may be exposed to this type of mercury by eating contaminated fish.

Elemental mercury, the silvery liquid found in some thermometers and switches, is most dangerous when inhaled and needs to be handled with care.

Children are most sensitive to mercury exposure, which can irreversibly damage their developing brains and nervous systems.

Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant need to be careful, too, since exposure can happen in the womb if they eat contaminated fish.

The National Academy of Sciences estimates that every year in the United States, 60,000 children exposed to mercury in the womb are born with neurological and other problems. These conditions can be permanent and lead to learning and other difficulties.

Even before the 2006 law took effect, MassDEP required power plants to reduce mercury emissions and municipal waste combustion facilities to separate mercury-containing items from the loads of trash sent to them for disposal.

The agency has also issued policies and guidance to help regulated businesses and facilities comply with these rules.

Manufacturers, recyclers, and shredders of vehicles to certify that they are managing vehicle switches and other mercury-containing wastes properly, and

Manufacturers of certain mercury-containing products to submit for each product sold in Massachusetts:(1) a notification to the Interstate Mercury Education and Recycling Clearinghouse (IMERC), and
(2) a labeling plan, collection and recycling plan, and annual compliance certification to MassDEP.

Under other statutory authority, MassDEP requires:

Dental practices and clinics to certify that they are managing and recycling dental amalgam wastes properly, and

Municipal Waste Combustors to develop and implement plans for diverting mercury-containing products from the waste loads they accept for disposal.

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Regional Initiatives

Massachusetts is not alone in sounding the alarm about mercury and taking concrete steps to reduce its presence in the environment.

At least 40 states, including all six in New England, have found fish with elevated levels of mercury in their lakes and ponds.

Massachusetts, other Northeastern states, and eastern Canadian provinces together have developed and are implementing a regional action plan to reduce mercury in products and the environment.

Specifically, these jurisdictions have:

Phased out mercury use in certain products, such as batteries,

Imposed more stringent limits on industrial discharges and emissions, and

Spurred the development of better pollution control technologies.

As a result, there have been significant reductions in mercury emitted to the air and discharged to streams and lakes over the last couple of decades.

Massachusetts also was a founding member of the Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC), launched in 2001 to provide:

Ongoing technical and program assistance to states that have enacted mercury education and reduction legislation, and

A single point of contact for industry and the public to learn about mercury-added products and member states' mercury programs.

Massachusetts is one of 13 IMERC member states. The others are Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.